Most of us like solving problems - it's just part of our nature. If we find something that makes our job harder than it needs to be, we like to work out a better way of doing it, and make life a little easier. We tend to do that whether at home or at work, and that’s generally a good thing - it feels
Read MoreDo you ever find yourself having a conversation with someone who is patiently explaining why something can’t be done, or something has to be done a particular way? This explanation often involves some unnecessarily complicated workaround, and all the while seems to be skirting around a central issue that has some sort of protective forcefield...
Read MoreThe same is true of management teams. Often decisions get made perfectly well, while a handful seem to linger and resist all attempts to move forward. The topics may get discussed at one meeting, revisited at another, perhaps supported by a little more analysis, but somehow never quite reach a conclusion. And being human, often our natural...
Read MoreTwo weeks ago, I mentioned that I was heading out on a little road trip. The destination is Tuktoyaktuk - “Tuk” - about 7,000 km from my home in Ottawa and, quite literally, the end of the road. It sits on the Arctic Ocean at the end of Canada’s northernmost public road. And just to make things interesting, I decided to drive there in my 1968
Read MoreWe make hundreds of decision in a day - many are minor and take very little conscious thought, some are more weighty, both in terms of the thinking needed, and the outcome. We tend to think of decision making as a process of choosing between options: A or B, yes or no, now or later, do nothing or do something. And part of our process then...
Read MoreDo you ever have the situation where someone says something, it completely changes your understanding, it makes perfect sense, and you’re left thinking, “How did I not know that?” I have always struggled to keep kitchen knives sharp - that razor-sharp edge they have when you first buy them. I’ve spent hours trying to hone my edge honing...
Read MoreThe VW Beetle has a very distinctive shape - and even over 3 generations of design covering nearly 60 years of production, that distinctive shape has been retained, and nearly everyone can recognise a Beetle. Some Beetles come in a very noticeable yellow. So, the thing is with these yellow Beetles, there are few-enough of them that you won't...
Read MoreDo you recognise this situation? You are drafting a text message on your phone. You type a perfectly sensible word and it changes it into something entirely different. You correct it and it changes it again. After several attempts to get the word you want, you slow right down to type the word one letter at a time, and carry on with the rest of...
Read MoreMost companies say they want proactive people. People who spot problems before they become crises. People who take ownership, seek opportunities, and look for ways to improve things. And people who don’t simply wait to be told what to do before taking appropriate action. And yet, strangely, many of these same organisations unintentionally teach...
Read MoreA few days ago, a hummingbird found its way into my garage and was flying around trying to get out. The strange thing is that both garage doors were fully open, as was the side window, and there was plenty of daylight coming in. And yet the bird was 'trapped' in my garage. For hours, it flew around in circles constantly tapping against the...
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